Written in the Stars
by dipped.in.ink
Summary: Pavel is a new student who doesn't fit in well, and is very lonely until a certain dashing young pilot to be rushes into his class and sits down beside him. Will Sulu be the one to show him he belongs? Starts academy moves to 5 yr mission.
1. Prologue

Pavel hummed idly to himself as he wove his way through the benches, making sure to find a seat near the front. He settled on a table at the front of the lyceum, setting down his PADD and satchel as he nestled himself onto the hard and overly clinical white benches. Even at fifteen, he was a tiny thing, and just as pretty as ever. At least that's what his Mama always told him. He supposed it might have been worth it to come to class so early as he missed out on the jibing from some of the other cadets still idling in the doorway, and then cleared his mind before grabbing his stylus and patiently scribing the date and lecture title across the top of his screen. He always took notes, though he never needed them again.

The rest of the class bustled in, but nobody sat around Pavel. This lecture wasn't very crowded anyway, since the class was a senior level-command track only class in Advanced Warp Theory and Analytical Astrophysics. Most of those who knew the teacher in question-a stoic Vulcan commander known for his suicide worthy exams-didn't feel like sitting near the front, where they'd likely be called upon to volunteer. The lecturer, Commander Spock, had taken his podium and was preparing to call the class to order when a bustle of cadet red and messy black hair appeared at Pavel's right and slid into the row with him, plunking down beside him. The boy...no man...was breathing hard, as if he'd run a long way, and his Starfleet issue jacket was askew, zipped halfway and buttons fastened haphazardly. He straightened it quickly and pulled his books out before muttering a quick apology to the aloof professor. He was...very attractive, but cuter than he was handsome, with full lips and a nose that quirked up at the tip and large brown almond shaped eyes. His hair was an inky black, and appeared to be in dire need of a cut as it stuck out wildly. It was clipped short over most of his head with bangs that fell over his eyes and longer locks in front of his ears. The ear Pavel could see bore a single gold earring in the shell.

The shy boy spared the man a brief, curious glance, before politely shifting his satchel out of the way so as to not crowd the stranger. He paid the man no mind, somewhat excited at the prospect of the lecture. He seemed oblivious, big black blues fixed on the podium as one small, slender hand twitched his stylus over the screen, adding a twisting vine of a border to the notes that weren't there yet. He knew it was a bad habit, but he liked doodling on his notes.

The stranger, as Pavel had dubbed him, hurriedly flipped his open a paper notebook much to Pavel's surprise complete with ragged pages in the front, pristine ones after that, attesting to which ones had already been filled with notes. He pulled out an ink pen and initialed the top of his page, the previous page already filled with neat, writing in what Pavel knew to be Japanese as well as diagrams of star charts and trajectories. As the lecturer began to speak, he copied, eyebrows drawn together.

Pavel, however, condensed every word the professor said writing small and efficient notes, barely readable by anyone but him. His left hand was busy with a second PADD, diagramming the chart and trajectories for the equation involved in the attempt to beam one sentient being. Long had he trained himself to do two things at once, and times like these were when it really came in handy to be not only ambidextrous but able to write two different things at once and still listening to the lecture.

Hikaru's handwriting was precise and neat albeit in a foreign language, but he didn't bother to copy that particular diagram. Instead, he was taking rapid-fire bullet notes as the professor demonstrated equation after equation. Pavel kept up quite easily, eyes on the tip of his stylus as he scribbled down the important and key words the professor had given. If he ever read these notes again, they'd trigger the rest of them; as it was, they were already hovering in his mind as he absorbed more.

The Stranger happily wrote away, pausing only to lean over to Pavel and mutter under his breath, "Do you have your textbook? I forgot mine... left... in a hurry."

Pavel glanced up, startled, and nodded slightly, making sure to drape his sleeve over his PADD as he dug through his satchel quietly. He offered his spare PADD to the handsome stranger without a word, cheeks pink, before swiveling back toward the professor.

"Thank you," the stranger whispered in his ear, setting the PADD between them and quickly tapping the necessary icon.

"I'm Hikaru," he whispered once more in Pavel's ear.

"I'm Pavel," the petite Russian whispered back before looking over at Hikaru. The Asian man stopped writing suddenly and leaned back, neck craning as he seemed to be staring at Pavel's back.

If Pavel had been paying attention, he'd have surmised that Hikaru was scrutinizing him for his age, but he was quite involved with what the professor was saying as he wound them down toward their break. "You're welcome," he murmured politely, voice soft and sweet despite his lack of intent.

Hikaru smirked quickly and shifted back into his own personal space, nodding and humming quietly under his breath as he continued to take notes. He then slid the PADD back to Pavel. Hikaru was watching him, blatantly, not even bothering to try and sneak peeks. He had a sort of understanding, almost curious and impressed smile on his face. It took a while for Pavel to feel those eyes, and when he did, he glanced up guiltily, half expecting the professor to be looming over him. But all he saw were golden eyes. He flushed as he realized that the subject of his intense curiosity was certainly aware of his interest, and he bit his lip. How embarrassing. This was why he shouldn't stare at strangers. It got him into trouble.

When Pavel looked up and met his eyes, Hikaru broke into a grin and laughed quietly, as though Pavel was easily the most adorable thing he'd ever seen. He shook his head, still laughing, and turned back to his notebook, hand falling into the familiar rhythm of writing as he resumed taking notes. By the end of the class, Pavel was buzzing with the warmth of newly acquired knowledge, and a little bit of curiosity about "The Stranger," now known as Hikaru sitting next to him.

Before too terribly long, the lecture broke for lunch. Hikaru didn't get up with the others, choosing instead to lounge in his seat with his head tilted back, almost as if he planned to take a nap. He had his black notebook clutched to his chest and a pair of headphones now in his ears.

Pavel stood and stretched, before he tucked his books together. He glanced around thoughtfully, Pavel wandered away, satisfied that nothing would happen to his stuff. He headed outside, idly contemplating a quick jog to get out his nervous energy. He'd been getting behind recently. So much to do, and so little time...

Pavel was headed toward an empty space beneath a tree when three rather ugly young men stepped into his path. Cadet Giotto, notable for his girth and attitude attempted to stop his movement. He murmured an apology and moved to duck around them, but a hand closed on his shoulder. He looked up, startled. They were all older than he, and much larger. The one touching him wore a cold smile accompanied by equally cold, steely blue eyes. "Don't leave so fast, Chekov," the boy crooned, chuckling evilly. Pavel jerked away, a disgusted frown on his face. "Don't you people EVER get tired of picking on me?" he demanded, sounding exasperated as he stepped back, more than ready to run. Their leader laughed and swung without further preamble, making Pavel dodge with a yelp. The others closed in, looking mean. Pavel spared a moment to wonder just what, precisely, made him such good bully-bait.

Even as the group of cadets closed in on Pavel, as they prepared to step past that tree, there was a slight whistle and then a quick thud. Giotto was on his knees a kendo sword at his throat, and Hikaru standing menacingly over top of him. Pavel shot a startled glance in the direction the other assailant had come. Somebody was on his side, for once, and he grinned as he danced out of the way of another wild swing. His Papa had taught him more than just Physics and Calculus, as he snapped a foot into the leader's gut, adding to the boy's wounds, he thanked his father for being such a wonderful teacher. As Pavel searched for his savior, he found Hikaru.

A/N: So This popped into my head the other night and I just had to write it down. I have been saddened by the lack of Pav/Sulu stories in this realm, so I took it upon myself to try one. If y'all like it, I will keep going, please let me know what you think.

Ink


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Pavel hated sneezing. It messed up his work, his books, his chess matches - it was AMAZING what could backfire when one sneezed - and he was getting tired of it. So he'd gone out of his way to stop in the infirmary only for Dr. McCoy to tell him there still wasn't a hypo for the sniffles and he would just have to, "man up" about it. Three hours later, as Pavel hurried toward the hanger for his first in-flight simulation lab, he was a mixture of excitement and frustration because he still couldn't concentrate with all the sneezing. Still, it had been a week since the incident with Cadet Giotto and his subsequent rescue by the dashing and dazzlingly handsome Cadet Sulu, and he was sure that concentrating on it was part of his problem. As Pavel rushed into the crowd standing inside the hanger he was surprised to see Hikaru standing in the front of the room dressed in flight gear and looking even more incredibly attractive than usual.

Pavel sneezed into his wrist—tiny, funny sounding sneezes that left him narrow-eyed and glaring at nothing in particular. _This was getting annoying, damn it,_ he thought, as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. The hanger, however, was fascinating and more than enough to distract him from his dilemma as he turned, peering around in indomitable curiosity. As he took in the fascinating equipment and the various small aircraft, Pavel was almost shivering with excitement.

"Alright cadets," the booming voice of their course instructor rang out, "Pay close attention, we have a few licensed pilots who have graciously offered to take part in our simulation. Please welcome Cadet Hikaru Sulu who will be demonstrating evasive maneuvers during combat."

Pavel practically scurried over to where Hikaru was standing. "It is nice to see you again," He said in a tremulous voice inflected by his Russian accent. "How is it that you are already a pilot?"

"My parents are scientists with Starfleet, so I grew up on bases all over, when I was sixteen I started taking flight courses and then got my license. I've technically already made it through all the courses to be an officer, because I got my Ph. D. in Botany when I was twenty."

Pavel was in awe. His hero was not only handsome and brave, but stunningly talented. It was a dream come true to have been rescued by such a man. "May I join your simulation?"

Hikaru grinned. "Sure, I don't see why not. Just be sure not to wet yourself kid."

Pavel's heart immediately fell. _Kid, he thinks of me as everyone else. To him I am nothing more than a curly-haired child playing dress-up in cadet red, _Pavel thought despondently. The afternoon then dragged by for him, as he was only able to concentrate on his acute self loathing. By the end of the simulations, Pavel was in overwhelming awe of Hikaru's skill which only made him feel even more insignificant. When the class ended he scurried away not wanting to let Hikaru see him look so pathetically despondent.

The weeks passed and Hikaru couldn't figure out why the cute little Russian boy avoided him like the plague. _Hadn't he chased away those bullies way back when? _So why wasn't Pavel flocking to him like everyone else? Not that he wanted the boy to chase him the way those crazy sluts chased his pal Jim, but a little attention would be nice. As he walked toward the dorms he couldn't take his mind of the situation. It wasn't until he turned the corner and saw Pavel pressed against a wall with a pair of meaty hands wrapped around that gorgeous throat that Hikaru saw red.

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He screamed. The brawny perpetrator let go of Pavel as he jerked around, and unwittingly slammed the boy into the wall. Pavel crumpled to the ground in a heap and didn't move. Hikaru was immediately consumed with fear. He reared back and landed two strong punches one after another connecting with the cadet's face before catching the scumbag in the throat. With a quick kick and sweep, the cadet had his feet swept out from under him. The beefy cadet hit the ground with a thud as Hikaru rushed forward pulling Pavel into his lap.

"Pav," He gasped, "Pav, hey, open your eyes." The other boy's eyes fluttered open on a whimper to look up at his savior.

"Karu?" Pavel whimpered as he gazed up into the face of his fearless hero.

"Yeah," He whispered, "I'm going to take you to the infirmary, okay?"

Pavel nodded weakly, and Hikaru was on his feet running toward the medical wing in no time. Sulu wasted no time getting Pavel settled into the infirmary only cringing here and there as Dr. McCoy cursed at him for varying instances of supposed stupidity. _But, _Sulu thought, _as long as Pavel is safe and sound, the grumpy bastard can say whatever he wants to me. _

A/n: Sorry it's been sooooooooo long, I've been busy working on stuff for grad school and trying to enjoy my vacation before teaching begins again in. I hope you liked it.


	3. Chapter 2

A/n: So I kinda have this idea of making this little snippets into the romance of Chulu. Tell me what you think.

Chapter Two

Pavel sat curled in the corner of the third floor observation deck mere hours after the destruction of Vulcan. He couldn't stand to be near anyone.

_"You're the best uncle Pav," Milosz cried with a happy grin as he waved Pavel goodbye at the airport. _

_"Don't worry little brother," his sister Anya murmured sweetly, "You're going to be the hit of Starfleet, no one is as smart and talented as you."_

_Pavel smiled at his family, his aunts, uncles and cousins, who stood close to his wonderful mama and waved at him for good luck before he went off across the world to live his dream. _

"I'm the best, yeah right." He sneered, his accent thick and coarser than usual. "I barely saved Karu's life, I couldn't even save the commander's mama. Some Starfleet officer I am." Tears slipped down his cheeks as he stared off into the empty void of space, wishing desperately for once to be anyone else to be as far from space and Starfleet as possible.

So focused on his sadness, Pavel didn't hear the swish of the door sliding open or the soft footsteps coming closer to him. When his visitor finally came to a halt and flopped down on the floor beside him, Pav was surprised to see Sulu.

"Why aren't you in SickBay?" Pavel cried in exasperation.

"I'm all patched up and I thought it would be best to leave it for the ones who really need to be in there with Dr. McCoy barking at them." Sulu replied cheerfully, "Besides, I wanted to check on you."

Pavel bristled. "I'm not some child who needs looking after, Hikaru."

The Asian man nodded. "You're right, but I'm not here to look after a child, I'm here to make sure my friend his okay, after a rough couple of hours." Sulu then scooted closer and pulled Pavel close hugging him tightly. "I know what's going through that mind of yours so stop it right now."

"What are you talking about?" Pavel asked brusquely.

"You're blaming yourself for not being able to save Spock mother aren't you?"

Trying to pull away from the man, Pavel refused to make eye contact. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Listen," Hikaru murmured. "You're an amazing member of Starfleet, and I wouldn't be here right now talking to you, if it hadn't been for your skills up there in the transporter room. I'm glad that after all these years of saving your little ass, you decided to reciprocate, and I will never forget what you did for me."

Tears began streaming silently down the boys face, he sobbed lightly and wished he could control his weakness. "I was so scared."

Hikaru held him closely and rocked gently running his loose land through Pavel's silky curls. "I know, baby, I know."

"W…wh…what?" Pavel stammered.

"Huh," Sulu asked dazedly. "Nothing, just zoning out on the meds man."

"You, Karu," Pavel whispered. "Prescription medications were invented in Russia."

"Whatever you say…."


End file.
